... in New Zealand two days before Christmas do? Take a photo with Santa of course! We waited in line with all the wee ones and everything. Fun fact: This was Elizabeth and Kalah's first photo with Santa! The first of many firsts for this group on this trip.

After the mall we explored the ReStart Mall ( a mall built from shipping containers after the 2011 earthquake), the Christchurch Cathedral and ...

... explore. As we neared the centre of the city signs of the recent earthquake became apparent; large swathes of empty land where building was either in progress or being planned. The old cathedral front was strewn with cracks and the collapsed roof was supported with scaffold. Whilst it is being renovated the nearby transitional cathedral has taken its place. It's quite a remarkable building, the majority of ...

When the bus arrived we boarded and got our tickets $3.50 each one way. Trina asked the driver if there was a return ticket available, yes he said but you will need to make your return journey within two hours. Two hours not long enough, so just got the one way ticket.

If you may or may not know Christchurch was hit by 2 large earthquakes, the first a M7.1 on September 4th 2010 and the second a ...

... and most apt way to spend the day. By evening time we had decided to treat ourselves on our last full evening in New Zealand by going out to dinner. This was to have an unexpected surprise of the restaurant we frequented, Denny's, having a deal of "Buy 2 burgers, get 1 free". So after one and a half burgers each and a cider to round of the evening, our final nightfall in New Zealand was a most pleasant affair.